Objectives of the service
Many organisations (public and private) aim to decrease the amount of waste leaking into the environment, and mitigate risks related to mismanaged waste. Currently, there is a lack of reliable information regarding mismanaged waste.
GreySat provides the following information:
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Waste production and amount of waste leaked into the environment. Based on satellite imagery, we indicate the number of (open) waste dump sites, and the size of the (open) waste dump sites. The open waste dumps are used as proxy by our customers to indicate the amount of waste leaked into the environment, and to indicate if the waste system in the area is sufficient to process the waste that is being produced.
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Waste displacement. Waste migrates through an area by humans and natural phenomena such as wind and water. Water is in this context especially relevant, because it is indicated that rivers are one of the primary ways that plastic (an important contributor to waste) is moving through an area. Therefore, to understand river flow and how it contributes to waste movement is important to understand waste behaviour.
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Waste related contamination risks. We provide with GreySat information concerning the water contamination risks of waste that is leaked into the environment, and provide water quality information. To understand how water is contaminated by waste is important for many regions due to the importance of water for drinking, hygiene and agriculture.
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Expected waste production and mismanaged waste for the years 2030, 2040, and 2050. These projections are based on Shared Socioeconomic Pathways that are developed by various research groups for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
GreySat visualises the spatial (where) and temporal (when) of these waste related elements. GreySat utilizes the latest technologies related to satellite imagery, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing.
Users and their needs
The main customers of GreySat include companies that aim to reduce the volumes of mismanaged waste such as companies in the beverage sector, investors in waste infrastructure, (local) governments, and non-governmental organisations.
These customer segments need information concerning waste to assess the following questions:
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Where are waste related problems occurring?
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What is the nature of the waste related problem? (e.g. contamination risk, no sufficient infrastructure to process waste).
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What are good solutions to waste challenges?
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Which kinds of programs are suitable for investments? What are good investment opportunities?
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How can we proof the effectiveness of our waste strategy after implementation?
GreySat can be deployed for any location worldwide.
Service/ system concept
Using a combination of satellite Earth observation data, GreySat is able to satisfy the customer needs, and provide the information needed to develop and deploy effective waste strategies.
To develop a viable strategy, to implement waste reduction programs, and to show/proof the effectiveness of the strategy and programs, information is needed that is provided by GreySat, including:
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Understand the problem of waste (where, what, when and why of the problem). GreySat provides information about the amount of waste that is being produced and where, indicates how much waste end-up in the environment, assesses the water contaminations risks, and shows historical data about the amount of waste production and leakage into the environment.
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Decide where to start a program (or investment). GreySat indicates hot spot areas based on the amount of waste that is leaked into the environment and the contamination risks of waste.
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Determine what type of program (or investment) is suitable. Given the context of the waste problem, the information provided by GreySat can be used to assess if it would be effective to invest in sanitary landfills, in recycling installations, in clean-up operations or other activities considered by the company.
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Keep monitoring waste programs when they are being implemented and adapt if needed. During operations, GreySat keeps providing information about production, leakage, and contamination indicators.
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Scenario and decision making tool for investment decisions. All information of GreySat will be included in an online dashboard to provide overviews and indicators to decision makers.
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Determine a baseline and assess the effectiveness of waste programs. Based on indicators, GreySat provides information for a baseline before a program is being implemented (e.g. production, leakage, contamination indicators), and monitors the same indicators to show the effectiveness of the program.
GreySat provides trends related to waste based on historical and current information. This information enables our customers to assess the size of the problems related to waste, and also to develop future scenarios based on identified trends.
Space Added Value
GreySat will use Satellite Earth observation (mainly Sentinel-2). The main benefits of Satellite Earth observation for GreySat are:
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Able to detect open waste dumps
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Important data to model the dynamics of waste (from production to sink)
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Access to information from remote locations
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Local data worldwide
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Cost efficient
Current Status
GreySat is market ready and working with potential customers for commercialisation.
Prime Contractor(s)
